THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Amphibia    Anura    Ranidae  

North American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802)

Current SSAR Comments:
[Is this first sentence what they intended?] Geographic variation within the natural range R. catesbeiana is not well understood, although Austin et al. (2004, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32: 799–816) presented mtDNA evidence of distinct eastern and western lineages. The concept of western lineages also needs to be considered in light of the extensive, and mostly poorly documented, introductions and subsequent establishment of the species in the western U.S. (e.g., Storer, 1922, California Fish and Game 8: 219-22; Jennings and Hayes, 1985, Herpetologica 41: 94–103). We have adopted the modified English name of North American Bullfrog (Meshaka et al., 2022, Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles, University Florida Press, 245pp.).

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.09.06.09.39.44)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 4.12 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Bull Frog (Rana maxima americana aquatica: Catesby, Mark. 1754. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants: Particularly the Forest-trees, Shrubs, and other Plants, not Hitherto Described, or Very Incorrectly Figured by Authors. Together with Their Descriptions in English and French. To which, are Added Observations on the Air, Soil, and Waters: with Remarks upon Agriculture, Grain, Pulse, Roots, &c. To the Whole, is Prefixed a New and Correct Map of the Countries Treated of. , London. pp.); Bull Frog (Rana ocellata: Pennant, Thomas. 1785. Artic Zoology. Henry Hughs, London. pp.); Bull Frog (Rana catesbeiana: Shaw, George. 1802. General zoology or systematic natural history. Volume 3. G. Kearsley, London, U. K.. 615pp.); Bull-frog (Rana catesbeana: James, Edwin. 1823. Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819, 1820. By order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the command of Maj. S. H. Long, of the United States Top. Engineers. Compiled from the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the party by Edwin James, botanist and geologist to the expedition. In three volumes. [Volume 1]. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, London, England. 344pp.); Bull-frog (Rana pipiens: James, Edwin. 1823. Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819, 1820. By order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the command of Maj. S. H. Long, of the United States Top. Engineers. Compiled from the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the party by Edwin James, botanist and geologist to the expedition. In three volumes. [Volume 1]. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, London, England. 344pp.); Bull-frog (Rana pipiens: Harlan, Richard. 1826. Descriptions of several new species of batracian reptiles, with observations on the larvae of frogs. American Journal of Science and Arts 10():53-65); Bull-frog of the Anglo-Americans (Rana pipiens: Griffith, Edward and Edward Pidgeon. 1831. The class reptilia arranged by the Baron Cuvier, with specific descriptions. Part 2. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London. 1-481pp.); Shad Frog (Rana pipiens: Griffith, Edward and Edward Pidgeon. 1831. The class reptilia arranged by the Baron Cuvier, with specific descriptions. Part 2. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London. 1-481pp.); Large Northern Bullfrog (Rana horiconensis: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Large Northern Bullfrog (Rana horiconensis: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Bullfrog (Rana pipiens: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Bull-frog (Rana mugiens: Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1859. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens of natural history in spirit contained in the Museum of the Royal college of surgeons of England. Vertebrata: Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, England. pp.); Bull Frog (Rana pipiens: Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1859. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens of natural history in spirit contained in the Museum of the Royal college of surgeons of England. Vertebrata: Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, England. pp.); Bull Frog (Rana catesbiana: Allen, J. A. 1869. Catalogue of the reptiles and batrachians found in the vicinity of Springfield, Mass., with notices of all the other species known to inhabit the state. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural Hisotry 12(1868-1869):171-204); Bull Frog (Rana catesbiana: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Bull Frog (Rana pipiens: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Bloody Nouns (Rana catesbiana: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Bull-frog (Rana catesbiana: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Bully (Rana catesbeiana: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Bull Frog (Rana catesbeiana: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Bloody Nouns (Rana catesbeiana: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Bullfrog (Rana catesbiana: Brimley, Clement S. 1915. List of reptiles and amphibians of North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 30(4):195-206); Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana: Stejneger, Leonard and Thomas Barbour. 1917. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp.); Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana: Strecker, John K. 1922. An annotated catalogue of the amphibians and reptiles of Bexar County, Texas. Bulletin Scientific Society of San Antonio (4):1-31); Jug-o'-Rum (Rana catesbeiana: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); North American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus: Meshaka, Walter E. Jr., R. Bruce Bury, Suzanne L. Collins, and Malcolm L. McCallum. 2022. Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of the United States. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. 245pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Pertinent LIterature:
1802 Shaw, George. General zoology or systematic natural history. Volume 3. G. Kearsley, London, U. K.. 615pp.
1922 Storer, Tracy I. The eastern bullfrog in California. California Fish and Game 8(4):219-224
1985 Mark R. Jennings and Marc P. Hayes. Pre-1900 overharvest of California Red-Legged Frogs (Rana aurora draytonii): The inducement for Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Introduction. Herpetologica 41(1):94-103
2004 Austin, James D., Stephen C. Lougheed, and Peter T. Boag. Discordant temporal and geographic patterns in maternal lineages of eastern north American frogs, Rana catesbeiana (Ranidae) and Pseudacris crucifer (Hylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32(3):799-816

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 01:53 CT